Dick Tracy Movie Review

Dick Tracy : it was a comic strip in the U.S. for dozens of years before it became the motion picture in 1990. His hero and folklore were a part of American culture for years already. He was a high tech detective who would constantly elude and apprehend 1920's crooks and criminals. With his trademark Yellow Suit! Dick Tracy had Warren Beatty as its star: an actor with pizzazz and skill. He fit into the role perfect. They also had a slew of big name stars lined up to be in this movie. It was shaping up to be a huge hit. The cinematography was great, the color-added backgrounds of the city were remarkable special effects. There were only a few problems. One : they used huge makeup on all the bad-guy characters, so much that it make them look huge and fake, almost like monsters. It was an attempt at exaggeration. But it just resulted in some really ugly faces to look at! The main bad guy is actually Al Pacino. He was never remembered for this role because it was such a monstrosity. The director messed up big time by putting this much added makeup on such a good actor! If they had allowed all the actors to just look like their normal selves, this would actually have been a hit movie. There were some cool scenes, and good effects. Good cinematography. The acting was very decent. This movie had a lot of anger in it at the expense of artistry. With a theater genius like Al Pacino involved in it, I am surprised they did not pick this up. He is unhinged and belligerent for most of the movie. The movie does capture the era of the Tommy Guns very well. The gangsters wear flashy suits, and have nice hair. They based Dick Tracy on the real life Eliot Ness (star character of the movie Untouchables). Who was apprehending crooks in Chicago in the 1920s. This movie has some great entertainment, then falls flat at times, and just has some downright ugly images that the audience wishes they had never seen. This is the impression of most people of Dick Tracy. While the comic strip did have its share of freaks and monstrous creatures, this is real life, and it just does not look good on cinema. We all know this looking back in hindsight. This movie had so many big name actors. How they thought it would be great to put this much makeup on all their faces I will never know. I'm sure all the actors were excited about this movie before they found out they were going to be caked in makeup for hours and hide their faces behind clay and plaster. Paul Sorvino himself was in this (Paulie in Goodfellas). But you could hardly tell because his face was under a makeup mask. The frames and colors of Dick Tracy were unbelievable. The shots of the city were totally incredible. They had some wide shots that were just remarkable considering the time period. It included tons of buildings of various colors all with perfect realism. The actress who is the main female actor also was not significantly strong. They put a redhead in this role, which is fine, but I would expect an actor who is a little flashier, and perhaps a blond. Madonna played the singer who tries to seduce Dick at one point. Her acting was pretty good! Overall Dick Tracy just left us wanting more, and at times was totally unwatchable. Some of those frames of the city are some of the best in cinema history.

-Movie Review Corner